A New Church

An accounting of the building of the new church

In April of 1836, a group of citizens got together and made plans for building a new meeting house. In order to defray the expenses to be incurred, it was finally decided that the proprietors of the meetinghouse’s pews should agree to sell their pews at auction. The old south meetinghouse was to be carefully torn down, saving as much as possible to be reused in the new building. There were 90 pews in all-64 downstairs and 26 gallery pews. It was voted to call the new meeting house “The First Congregational Society in Pembroke.” It was to be fifty feet by seventy with twenty one foot posts. The tower and recess were to be the same as the Deerfield, New Hampshire Congregational Meeting House. There were to be four gothic windows on each side of the house with twenty four lights to each window. All the windoes were to have blinds.

The Board of Managers were voted to take care of the Meeting house and were responsible for finding a suitable person to ring the bell, and sweep the house.

It was decided to exchange the old bell for a new one provided the whole expense of exchanging, transporting, and hanging do not exceed one hundred and ten dollars.

Paid Wm. Kimball for carting new bell from Reed’s Ferry to Pembroke, the boats having frozen up….$2.38

To paid James Wilson for all his services in forming an agreement, making a contract, superintending the building and finishing the meeting house, as allowed him by a vote of the aforesaid society….$50.00

All expenses for repairing the house, and keeping it in order shall be paid by assessments on the pews.

Each member of the society shall be entitled to as many votes as shall be equal to the number of pews he owns.

The pews were sold at auction on Thursday, Jan. 26, 1837, with James Wilson as auctioneer.

Bread, codfish, cheese and cider furnished at the raising.

Total amount of all expenses for building furnishing the meeting house: $3,568.33

New Church, New Duties

March 18, 1839 – Voted, that the assessers be authorized to agree with some person to take the care of the meetinghouse, ring the bell, and that same person shall perform the following duties. viz:

to sweep the house well at least 12 times during the year, and the carpets to be taken up and the dust shaken out of them twice and the tables, pews, seats, and curtains to be kept free from dust at all times. To open all the doors and blinds before any meeting commences, and to shut and fasten them immediatly after the closing of said meeting. And seasonably at all times when necessary to build fires and take charge of the same during the time of all meetings. And to remove all the snow from the doorsteps when necessary and also to clear a path from the meetinghouse to the road, before the commencement of any meeting. The bell to be rung on every sabbath day in the following manner, viz: the first bell in the forenoon to commence ringing precisely one hour before the time appointed for the meeting to commence, and continue ringing at least ten minutes. The second bell in the forenoon and the afternoon bell, each to commence ringing ten minutes before the time appointed for the meeting to commence, and continue ringing and tollbell to be rung at all times during the week for lectures and other religious meetings, when appointed by the minister to be holden at the meetinghouse, in like manner as on the sabbath.

Annual Meeting of 1840

Voted to have 2 cords of hemlock wood cut, split and piled in the spring and put into the closets in the meetinghouse by the first day of September. Voted that the following persons be a committee to see that the boys do not stay about the meetinghouse in time of public service but compel them to go into the house; also to request all other persons to go in, not tarry out after services commense…